A white Christmas in the U.S.?

by jmaloni

Press release

Tue, Dec 11th 2012 12:55 pm

Photo courtesy of AccuWeather.com.

by
Meghan Evans

Meteorologist
for AccuWeather.com

From Charles Dickens'
"A Christmas Carol" to Bing Crosby's "White Christmas," Christmas
is portrayed as a snowy time. However, many areas of the U.S. do not
necessarily have a high probability of a white Christmas.

Since many people may
have a different idea of what constitutes a white Christmas, it is being
defined in this story as a snow depth of an inch or more on Christmas Day.

Normal December snowfall
and temperatures are both critical factors that play a role in who gets a white
Christmas. This is due to the fact that snow needs to fall and stay put on the
ground to meet the definition.

Based on data from 1981
to 2010, northern New England, the upper Midwest, Rocky Mountains and
intermountain west have the highest chance, more than 75 percent, of a white
Christmas.

Minneapolis, Green Bay,
Buffalo, and Burlington, Vt., are among the cities in the U.S. that have the
highest chance for a white Christmas.

"It tends to stay
colder across the northern tier during the day and night, so when snow falls,
it's less likely to melt," AccuWeather Expert Senior Meteorologist Alex
Sosnowski said.

Farther south, Chicago
has less than a 40 percent chance of having a white Christmas.

"By the time
Christmas comes around, there is a pronounced temperature difference from north
to south (across the Midwest)," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Jim
Andrews. "The 'refrigeration' needed to keep the snow from melting is less
reliable in Chicago compared to somewhere like International Falls, Minn."

While December is not
typically the snowiest month for Denver, it is the month with the lowest
average high temperature. This means that any snow that falls may be less
likely to melt. Denver has nearly a 50 percent chance of a white Christmas.

Meanwhile, New York
City, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., have less than a 25 percent chance of
having a white Christmas. Mild air from the Atlantic Ocean plays a role in the
low probability.

In the west, Seattle
also has less than a 25 percent chance at a white Christmas due to the
influence of milder air from the Pacific Ocean. However, snow can still often
be seen by Seattle residents, since the Washington Cascades have more than a 75
percent chance of a white Christmas.

There is a very low
chance of a white Christmas in San Francisco to Los Angeles as well as across
central and southern Florida.